Michigan and Terrel caught on to the hypothetical assignments I posted to start this discussion.
Other responders blew right through, focusing on the wrong elements.
I wrote what I wrote on purpose to distract people, and it worked!
It's not about the money, market knowledge, software, time spent, or working in PJ's in your basement and bunny slippers.
When 'someone' you don't know writes part of "your" report, and you sign it as the licensed appraiser (with E&O), how does that square with your responsibility under USPAP to allow an unlicensed 'someone' to do Appraisal Practice - especially a person you have not supervised? (Yes, from my reading of USPAP, collecting data, taking photos, and writing comments IS Appraisal Practice when a valuation report is being done. This is not the same as a real estate agent including property data in a listing.)
Then, even though their name might be shown in the report, fail to disclose that 'someone' as providing Significant Appraisal Assistance in the web-based form report?
It is my view that appraisers are being fed a dump truck load of bovine substance with these report requests. They go by many names, because there are multiple entities promoting them............."enhanced desktop" and "Hybrid Appraisal" are just two I have heard about. But people who contact you asking if you will do them may have other names or descriptions.
The first question you need to ask is WHO collects and provides the subject property information? The usual response is "we have a field inspector do that." And they won't tell you who the 'field inspector' is.
These kinds of reports are NOT THE SAME as a traditional 'desktop' appraisal done ENTIRELY by the appraiser.
Let's be careful out there.
